Curriculum
Love God and Others
Memory Verse:
"'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' And 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" Matthew 22:37-39
Bible Background
What Kids Will Learn
God wants us to love Him and love each other. These two commands are the most important and affect all other aspects of our lives.
Scripture Summary
Religious leaders within the Jewish culture were divided into several groups. The Pharisees taught from the entire Old Testament and embraced everything Jewish. The Sadducees, however, believed the Pentateuch (Genesis through Deuteronomy) was the only Word of God. While they opposed one another, the Sadducees joined the Pharisees to fight against Jesus and His teaching (Matthew 16:1).
This wasn’t the first time the Sadducees and Pharisees wanted to trap Jesus. The groups often crafted and posed questions to Jesus to discredit and denounce Him. The answer Jesus gave silenced the Sadducees theologically. While the Pharisees could have taken pleasure in that event, they were too intent on attacking Jesus’ ministry to learn His truth.
Jesus referenced part of the shema in Deuteronomy 6:7, where Moses gives God’s people the command to love Him with everything and above all else. This command was to be shared with children in families as part of everyday life. From this central command came the Ten Commandments.
The religious leaders also asked Jesus who He thought the Messiah was. Because of the prophecies in the Old Testament, the Pharisees knew He would be a descendant of David. Though they didn’t know He would be God. In answering their question, Jesus quoted from Psalm 110. Jesus showed them the LORD would be greater than even David.
Why Is This Important
One of the most important questions to ask ourselves is who Jesus is. Who does He say He is? Who is He to each of us personally? What do we believe? Once that central question is answered, we can live out the greatest commandments from a place of genuine love of God and others.
Teacher Devotion
Scripture
Loving Others Well
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23)
I used to view the fruit of the Spirit as a to-do list for good believers. It became a checklist, of sorts, for me to see how I measured up, where I needed to improve a weakness. I have to admit right off the bat, I don’t always love others well.
I had it all wrong. While God calls us to right living, He doesn’t ask or expect us to do this in our own strength. The fruit of the Spirit … means it’s the Spirit who is hard at work in us. Our job is to be willing and obedient.
Brian Morykon is a singer and songwriter with a gift of just the right word to express each moment. In his song Be Kind, he captures the challenge we all face with loving others well and doesn’t back down from how we’re called to lean into that love.
Be kind to one another Jesus will show you how
Keep those words of life in your heart
So they spill right out of your mouth
Jesus, You are the only One
Who has loved with a perfect love
The same Spirit that filled Your words and deeds Has come to live in me
Take just a moment to ponder your answers to a few questions.
- What stood out to you in the lyrics?
- How can you “keep those words of life in your heart” as you go about your day today?
- What does it look like to be kind to those closest to you? To strangers? To the hard-to-love?
Prayer
Dear God, thank You for loving me. Please help me take that in and let it affect each moment, each interaction today. I want to share that same love with others and love them well. Please show me how. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Bible Memory Verse
You’ll Need: Bibles - one for each child
Get Ready: Divide the class into small groups and invite each child to open their Bible to Matthew 22:36-39\
"'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' And 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" Matthew 22:37-39
SAY: Today we’re learning that we’re called to love God and to love others. These are the greatest commandments. Let’s learn our Bible memory verse with some motions.
Lead children in reciting the Bible memory verse with these motions:
"'Love (cross arms over chest)
the Lord your God (point up)
with all your heart (heart motion)
and with all your soul (hand on chest and other hand on stomach)
and with all your mind.' (both hands on head)
And 'Love (cross arms over chest) your neighbor (point to a friend) as yourself.'" (point to yourself)
Rehearse the Bible memory verse and motions multiple times. Then encourage children to share with their families.
Interactive Bible Experience
You’ll Need: Bible, Paper plates - one for each child, Markers
Get Ready: Draw a smiley face on one side of the paper plate and a frowny face on the other side.
SAY: Today we’re learning that we’re to love God and love others, but what does love look like? I’m going to read from a chapter in the Bible known as the love chapter. When you hear something that love is, show me your smiley face on your plate. When you hear something that love doesn’t do, show me the frown side of your plate.
Open your Bible and read 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 aloud.
ASK:
- What is something this Scripture says that love is?
- What is something this Scripture says that love is not?
- Which part of love is easiest for you?
- Which part of love is more difficult for you?
Snack
Heart Necklaces
You’ll Need: Fruit Loop Cereal, Pipe cleaners, Yarn
Get Ready: Shape each pipe cleaner into the shape of a heart. Cut the yarn into two- foot pieces.
Give each child a piece of yarn and a heart-shaped pipe cleaner. To make the Heart Necklaces, have children follow these steps:
- Thread the cereal loops onto the heart shape until it is full.
- Once it’s full, help them twist off the heart pipe cleaner so no cereal falls off.
Hang the heart snack on each child’s yarn and tie it around the child’s neck to make it a Heart Necklace.
SAY: When asked what was the greatest commandment, Jesus answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
As children eat their Heart Necklace, talk to them about ways that they show their love to God.
Game
Love Balloons
You’ll Need: Balloons - one per child, Permanent Marker
Get Ready: Inflate the balloons and tie them up.
SAY: There are so many people that we love. Let’s have fun with some balloons and think about those people.
- Ask each child for the name of someone they love.
- Write that person’s name on their balloon.
- Invite children to think of all the things they love about that per- son.
- Explain that they will hit the balloon into the air and try to keep it from hitting the ground. Each time they hit the balloon up, they will say aloud something they love about that person.
- Encourage them to try to name many things they love about that person.
SAY: Wow, you all really love people big. Remember we are called to love God and love others.
Gather the balloons for use in the “Love Balloon Prayers” activity.
Craft
Show the Love of Jesus
You’ll Need: “Show the Love of Jesus” coloring page, Crayons
ASK:
- What are some ways that you can love the people in yourfamily?
- What are some ways you can love your friends?
SAY: One of the ways we can love our friends is to share with them. Let’s color a picture that shows friends sharing.
Give each child a “Show the Love of Jesus” coloring page. Lay out crayons.
Prayer
Love Balloon Prayers
You’ll Need: Balloons from the “Love Balloons” activity
Make sure you spread the balloons out in the room.
SAY: Today we learned that Jesus commanded us to love God with everything we have and to love others. Earlier you played a balloon game and named all the things you love about someone in your life. Now let’s pray for these people and ask God to be close to those whose name is written on each balloon.
Help children find their balloon. Lead children in praying for the people on their balloon. Then close the prayer with the prayer below.
PRAY: God, thank You for today’s reminder that we are commanded by Jesus to love God and to love others. Thank You for these people we love so big. In Jesus’ name, amen.
